Why Fremantle great believes Caleb Serong can become the club's greatest ever player

Fremantle great Paul Hasleby believes Caleb Serong has it in him to one day surpass Matthew Pavlich and Nathan Fyfe as the club’s greatest ever player.

Serong won his third Glendinning-Allan Medal in Saturday’s Western Derby and now sits third in the AFL Coaches Award voting, three off leader Nick Daicos.

With the 23-year-old building an impressive resume this early in his career, Hasleby believes he could be heading for greatness.

“It’s his third medal and three Brownlow votes for Caleb Serong and he’s closing in on potentially winning a Brownlow,” Hasleby told SEN WA’s The Run Home.

“He is a clone of Lachie Neale, but he’s further advanced at the same age. He’s still only 23. Come the end of the season, he’ll be a two-time All-Australian, two-time best and fairest, he’s got three Derby Medals already, he’s got an AFL Rising Star, he’s closing in on AFL Coaches Association award, he could have a Brownlow.

“He could be the greatest ever Docker. He’s traveling on that sort of path.

“You’ve got to go past the superstar in Matthew Pavlich and Pav did it in a number of different positions and it’s hard to compare a centre half forward to a midfielder, but he’s shown he’s not just an inside mid, he played out of the goal square and took two contested marks on the weekend.

“I never thought I’d see Caleb Serong do that. He keeps developing his game. Pavlich got six All-Australians and six best and fairests, but Serong’s going to have two and two at 23. It’s a pretty good starting point and more advanced than where Neale was at the same point of his career and we know what he’s done.”

Serong will play his 100th game against Essendon at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.

He has averaged 30.5 disposals, 7.8 clearances, 4.8 tackles and 4.7 inside 50s across the 2024 season.